The reason seeing through that illusion is important is that the idea of selfhood is subtly interwoven through so many other areas of discussion and flavors so many attitudes. When the idea of personal selfhood is seen through, the world becomes "emptier" as self-referential thinking releases its hold on the organism, so to speak.
Certainly someone who has seen through the illusion of thingness, or meaning, or shoulds and oughts, or time and space, is freer than someone who hasn't, but until personal selfhood is seen through, the organism is to some degree fettered.
This body/mind had had many realizations over a fifteen year period of trying to understand existential issues, but the most important one occurred while contemplating the question, "How can I remain in a unity-conscious state of mind?" Today it is obvious that this was a more subtle way of asking, "How can I become enlightened and stay enlightened?" Prior to the day when the truth finally became obvious it had appeared as if I had had experiences of separateness followed by experiences of unity followed by experiences of separateness.
When the illusion of selfhood collapsed, and I realized that I had never been a separate entity having experiences of unity or separateness, there was a simultaneous realization that I was THIS/the Truth/reality/isness. Only then was it apparent that a book I had written about spirituality contained some glaring errors, and I had to re-write certain sections to conform to the realization. Only then did I see how the idea of personal selfhood had permeated all of my prior thinking and influenced how the world was perceived.
Does this matter? Not at all. Some people are driven to understand what's going on and who/what they are, and some are not. I would never presume to tell someone what s/he ought to do. If someone is already consumed with questions, then I enjoy telling him/her to look within, be still, ATA, or contemplate the questions rather than trying to find answers via the intellect.
Certainly someone who has seen through the illusion of thingness, or meaning, or shoulds and oughts, or time and space, is freer than someone who hasn't, but until personal selfhood is seen through, the organism is to some degree fettered.
This body/mind had had many realizations over a fifteen year period of trying to understand existential issues, but the most important one occurred while contemplating the question, "How can I remain in a unity-conscious state of mind?" Today it is obvious that this was a more subtle way of asking, "How can I become enlightened and stay enlightened?" Prior to the day when the truth finally became obvious it had appeared as if I had had experiences of separateness followed by experiences of unity followed by experiences of separateness.
When the illusion of selfhood collapsed, and I realized that I had never been a separate entity having experiences of unity or separateness, there was a simultaneous realization that I was THIS/the Truth/reality/isness. Only then was it apparent that a book I had written about spirituality contained some glaring errors, and I had to re-write certain sections to conform to the realization. Only then did I see how the idea of personal selfhood had permeated all of my prior thinking and influenced how the world was perceived.
Does this matter? Not at all. Some people are driven to understand what's going on and who/what they are, and some are not. I would never presume to tell someone what s/he ought to do. If someone is already consumed with questions, then I enjoy telling him/her to look within, be still, ATA, or contemplate the questions rather than trying to find answers via the intellect.
